Bimbola Oyesola
Twenty-four million new jobs will be created glob- ally by 2030 if the right policies to promote a greener economy are put in place, a new International Labour Organisation (ILO) report says.
According to World Employment and Social Out- look 2018: Greening with Jobs, action to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius will result in sufficient job creation to more than offset job losses of six million elsewhere. ILO said new jobs will be created by adopting sustainable practices in the energy sector, including changes in the energy mix, promoting the use of electric vehicles and improving the energy efficiency of buildings. Ecosystem services – including air and water purification, soil renewal and fertilisation, pest control, pollination and protection against extreme weather conditions – sustain, among others, farming, fishing, forestry and tourism activities, which employ 1.2 bil- lion workers.
But the report noted that the projected temperature increases will make heat stress, particularly in agriculture, more common. This, it emphasised, can lead to several medical conditions, including exhaustion and stroke. The report calculates that heat stress will cause a 2 per cent global loss in hours worked by 2030 due to sickness. “The findings of our report underline that jobs rely heavily on a healthy environment and the services it provides. The green economy can enable mil- lions more people to overcome poverty, and deliver improved livelihoods for this and future generations. This is a positive message of opportunity in a world of complex choices,” ILO Deputy Director General, Deborah Greenfield, said at the launch.